High speed Internet access is becoming increasingly commonplace in commercial and residential telecommunications installations. One technology being used for high speed Internet access is commonly known as splitter-less asymmetrical digital subscriber line (“Splitter-Less ADSL”) or “G.Lite.” However, several other forms of digital subscriber line (“DSL”) services exist, collectively referred to as “xDSL,” that may be able to utilize a housing constructed in accordance with the invention. Splitter-Less ADSL utilizes a low pass filter electrically insulated and physically protected within a housing. The present practice is to house the low pass filter within an indoor xDSL splitter assembly of the type disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,137,866 issued Oct. 24, 2000 to Staber et al., which is assigned to the assignee of the present invention. Indoor xDSL splitter assemblies, however, typically require the use of a tool, such as a screwdriver, to install the assembly on a wall, ceiling or floor at subscriber premises. The use of a screwdriver to install the assembly is generally considered to be “non-subscriber-friendly,” and thus, generally requires that a craftsperson be dispatched from the service provider, resulting in service delays and substantial expense.
Although an ADSL filter product that does not require a tool to install is available from EXCELSUS™ Technologies, Inc. of Carlsbad, Calif., under the trade name Z-BLOCKER™, that product does not provide the installer with adequate viewing of the alignment of the housing during the installation process. The housing of the Z-BLOCKER™ filter mounts to the mounting studs of a wall plate between the wall plate and a conventional wall-mount telephone. The housing is provided with elongated slots formed in the rear surface that receive the mounting studs of the wall plate to removably attach the housing to the wall plate. Enlarged portions of the slots are positioned over the mounting studs and the housing is moved downwardly until the mounting studs are securely retained within the slots. The alignment of the enlarged portions of the slots with the mounting studs, however, is not readily visible during the installation of the housing on the wall plate. Accordingly, it is possible that the housing will not be securely retained on the mounting studs and will detach from the wall plate when the telephone is mounted on the housing, thereby possibly damaging the filter and/or electrical connections within the housing or the telephone if the housing and the telephone fall from the wall plate onto a hard surface. In addition, the Z-BLOCKER™ filter includes a phone plug that is rigidly fixed to the rear surface of the housing, and thus, cannot accommodate a recessed or flush-mounted type wall jack.
In view of the noted deficiencies in the prior art, it is apparent that a need exists for a wall-mount housing for a high-speed Internet access product that is subscriber friendly. A more particular need exists for a wall-mount housing for a distributed filter to separate voice and data signals at a subscriber premises that does not require a tool to install the housing on a wall plate. It is further apparent that such a wall-mount housing is needed that provides the installer or subscriber with adequate viewing of the alignment of the housing during the installation process.